KUALA LUMPUR – When news broke that the long-awaited food court at Bangsar’s Lucky Garden would open soon, the operators of the iconic Annuar Fish Head Curry stall were elated with the prospect of returning to their old stomping grounds.
But after a brief inspection of the soon-to-be opened food court, they are not so sure if this was what they had waited two long years for.
“I am not complaining, but the size of the stall is a bit small. It also looks like our food truck has more space and is easier to operate from,” said Mohamed Salman, whose uncle runs the famed fish head curry stall.
Long-time food traders in Lucky Garden had to vacate their premises in June 2020 to make way for the food court project launched by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
The traders recently held a meeting with DBKL officials to inspect the food court, which will have 18 stalls measuring 10 by 12 feet each.
Each stall will be rented out at RM440 a month with an additional RM100 maintenance charge, according to DBKL licensing and business development department assistant director Ahmad Johaan Othman.
Yusof Abdullah, whose tom yum stall was a local foodie favourite, said that instead of cooking orders on the spot like he once used to, he is considering preparing only a few basic dishes at home and bringing them over to the new location to sell with drinks.
“We’ll see, but it looks like it will be too hot to cook here. My dishes require a big flame and there is only one small ventilation fan in the stall,” he said.
Hawker Maniam Ratnam, who will offer Indian food at his stall, said that while the food court is a boon for traders who had previously operated in the area, the limited seating for customers might impede profits.
“My stall will be on the same row as Annuar Fish Head Curry, and they have always attracted big crowds. If all of his customers occupy the seats outside our stalls, then where will my customers sit?” he said.
The situation will be worse for hawkers who have been assigned lots that have no seating at all in front of their stalls, said Maniam, who is also Lorong Ara Kiri 3 Hawkers Association chairman.
Earlier, The Vibes reported that the project was supposed to be completed by September in 2020, four months after the hawkers were cleared out of the area, but had been postponed after opposition from several residents in the area who were up in arms over having a food court near residences.
A source familiar with the matter said individuals with homes on the fringes of the food court area had raised concerns regarding how their quality of life would be impacted by business operations at the food court. – The Vibes, April 24, 2022
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